by Francesca Patterson
All pumpkins are beautiful but they are definitely not all the same. Some, like the Marina De Chiogga I posted about last week, have a more savory taste which turns out to be better for pasta or soups. Others, like the one I will be gushing over today, are ideal picks for a pumpkin pie made from scratch. This one is called the Peanut Pumpkin, or more formally known as Galeux d’Eysine. This is a totally unique pumpkin, with its peach colored skin that is covered in cork-like bumps that resemble peanuts, which is the reason it acquired that name. After doing some investigating, I found out that those peanut bumps are actually excess sugar that has seeped out of the inside of the pumpkin. To pick a good one, the more bumps the better.
This turned out to be easier to cut through than most pumpkins I have tried in the past. The skin was dense and minimally fibrous which is great for a pie because it holds up well. The seeds in this pie are also great for toasting. I used a medium sized one, about 8 lbs, and I was able to make two large pies with it.
This was also the first time I had ever tried making a pumpkin pie from scratch, and it was well worth it. One side of my family is from Canada, so we celebrate two Thanksgivings, American and Canadian. A simple explanation is that the north has an earlier Fall harvest than we do in the United States, so they celebrate this holiday on the same day we do Columbus Day. Anyways, it gives us an excuse to stuff our faces with all the classic courses. Every year we have a pumpkin pie, but this is the first time we get to watch it go from a big and beautiful decoration to a warm pie in our oven. It was quite the feat and tasted better than anything I could have bought. If you have the time and are a fan of pumpkin pies, I would highly recommend trying out your own from scratch as a fun and rewarding weekend project.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups of fresh pumpkin puree (about half a medium pumpkin or one small)
- Pie crust (I use Betty Crocker, shh!)
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Being extremely careful, cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and any stringy bits. Then, quarter the pumpkin. Place the quarters in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Peel the pumpkin meat away from the skin and discard the skin. Doing small batches at a time to avoid over filling, blend the quarters of the pumpkin until completely smooth. This is the pumpkin puree you will use.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your eggs until they are completely scrambled. Then, whisk in the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger thoroughly. Add in the pumpkin puree and milk until all is distributed evenly.
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a pie pan, arrange your shell so that the crust comes over the sides. Pinch the crust to create a scalloped effect. Pour in your pumpkin mix from the large bowl. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling has completely solidified and the crust is golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.This recipe makes one pie. It will last for about 3 days in your fridge.
